


to the stars

by latticejaemjen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, alien jaemin, angst idk anymore at this point, jeno is a struggling 20 year old, this is originally supposed to be the ending of a fic that im thinking off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26894563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latticejaemjen/pseuds/latticejaemjen
Summary: just because you are destined to meet each other that doesn't mean it's something that will last forever, does it?
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	to the stars

**Author's Note:**

> my life is a mess and this is supposed to be a part of my socmed au but im pretty much chaotic thus this little fic that is the epilogue of that au

I think this is pretty much the end or maybe that's really there is to it. The end of the road. They already reached it, what now? It's not like they can go back and start all over again. That's not how life works.

A soft chuckle escapes his chapped lips.

"Promise me you'll do what I told you to do," his voice coming out as rather hoarse and low, almost a whisper.

"Jaemin," the other replies followed by a deep heave of a sigh. "I will."

Jeno's grip on the hem of his shirt tightens as he chews on the inside of his mouth. He can feel his heart beat in fear and eyes scream a repetitive cry of sadness, regret and pain. Jaemin, however, shows no sign of what the latter feels. From his pearly teeth showing as he smiles widely, the crinkle of his nose to his eyes that resembles Snowball from The Secret Life of Pets and oh, those eyelashes of him too long and pretty that fits him a lot.

Jaemin then lays his head on his lover's shoulder looking up at the night sky in awe and wonder, the vanilla twilight twinkling right before their eyes and on normal days, it might seem just as romantic but tonight the strawberry-scented boy looks almost as if he's waiting for something or rather someone to arrive. Jeno seems to relax a little bit but the despair is still present, lingering around him. If people can see aura, he'd be seen with a deep awful aubergine cloud hovering around him.

"I'll miss this a lot."

"I know you will," Jeno forced a tensed giggle. "You can never have a boyfriend as hot as me."

"Excuse me you're the one who confessed first. That means it's you who fell for my charms before that pretty eyes of yours captivated me," the pink-haired male raised his brows, nudging his elbows on Jeno's shoulder.

"I only did it because I hate seeing you all sad and poetic on Twitter because Mark rejected you and broke your little alien heart. Oh wait! Aliens don't have a heart my bad," Jeno squeezes Jaemin in a tight hug, a foreshadow that he doesn't want to let go of him. Ever. But what Jaemin doesn't know won't hurt him right?

"So you do admit that you liked me first." Jeno sighs in defeat.

"Yes."

It was a good ten minutes of Jaemin making fun of Jeno and the latter just flushing a pink hue on his cheeks, trying to hide his face on his sweater paws. Their laughter soon died down and was replaced with a comforting silence.

Jaemin faced his boyfriend, looking at him like he's the eighth wonder of the world. He stares at him with that same exquisite smile and deep brown eyes that the blonde-haired male fell for. He slowly brings his hands to his face, caressing his cheeks to which Jeno instantly leaned in to that familiar touch he longs to last forever.

"The sky is wide. It stretches from here to the other side of the world. Sometimes, you're able to see the stars you want to see and there are days that they're nowhere to be found. I just want you to know that when I get there, I promise to go back just as immediately. I'll find a way, there has to be one. Don't look up on the sky because you won't see me nor the place where I came from. Focus on yourself. Do what your heart desires. Continue to dance with Jisung. Go on trips with our friends, I'm sure they'll love it especially Chenle."

"An adventure without you," Jeno brushes the little pink locks that block off Jaemin's face to see a clearer view of his boyfriend. "It will be hard. You're the one who knows how to cook and all that shit."

"Chenle is tolerable at least."

They both laugh softly in unison.

"I guess luck isn't really with us in this life, is it?" Jeno looks up at the sky as well, swallowing hard and the more he tries to conceal it, the more his tears want to roll down his bumpy cheeks. _I can't hold it anymore._

For the second time in his life, Jeno cried.

Jaemin felt a drip of the younger's tears on the side of his palm as it rolls down past Jeno's cheeks. He can't bear to see him in pain but he is equally in complete despair too. They're both hurting on a decision that they know none would regret making.

"I promise to go back but in case it doesn't work, let's hope to meet again in a different circumstance and not in this kind of hopeless situation. I'll make it work for us. I want us to be happy. I want you to be happy because I love you. I love you Jeno. Let's meet again?" Jaemin says as he plants one last chaste kiss on Jeno's quivering lips. As soon as the 20-year old human opened his eyes, no longer was Jaemin there. Traces of him still ghosts over his waist, face, neck and neck though and that was enough for him to last for who knows how long, he guesses.

Or maybe not because Jeno was never the same after that night.

_The time I spent with you was the happiest moment of my life and this is something that I will continue to hold on to 'til the day I bid my farewell as a human. You don't need to try hard for me. What's important here is you get to go back to where you belong, up there lightyears away from here. You'll be safe there. At least, I know that you'll get to be alive as what I am right now. This life isn't for us. You promised that we'll meet again no matter what, maybe in the next? Hopefully you won't get to be an alien from a different galaxy with no heart or a belly button. See you again, my lily._

_From this life to the next._

_Love, Jeno_

However, Jaemin did come back. Donned on him is a white run down Converse courtesy of Chenle, a satchel bag with a bunny keychain, a simple black pants and a white Christian Dior shirt that he stole in Jeno's closet. He breathes in the familiar scent of home. _Home._ Earth is his home. A lot has changed since he left. The old traditional home on a corner of their old high school is now a japanese diner. The school he used to go with the gang still stands but not as a school anymore as it shut down years ago, according to locals. It's now a museum that holds the history of the establishment and alongside hundreds of stories of the students who once went there. One story that is famous among the tourists is the story of the dancer who longs for his lover 'till the end of his life hoping he can dance with him again before he perish. James thinks it's a pity of a story but it does get the sympathy of the crowd. _Business, he thinks._

The nonstop touring around the neighborhood and the never-ending flood of nostalgia lead Jaemin into a café that he is really familiar with. It's the one Donghyuck's parents own and it's basically where all of his friends will gather after class everyday. He can still pretty much recall their obnoxious laughs and hollers that irritates the customers a shit ton. Oh, how he missed those so much.

As he enters the place, a familiar guy with blonde hair sticking like a fry catches his attention. Jaemin feels his heart beat erratically as he tries to approach him without looking like a crazy maniac.

_It must be him. I'm really sure it's him._

"Excuse me?" he taps lightly on the gentleman's shoulder as it turns around to face him. Jaemin is most definitely shocked. His features were still the same. The same eyes that used to stare at him with love, his nose, his lips and those cheeks.

"Yes? Can I help you with something?" The guy removes his earphones and greets him back with a smile despite being quite confused. The way he smiles, it's all the same.

_How does he not remember me at all?_

"Jeno…." James managed to verbalize.

"I'm sorry sir but my name is Joshua," he replies as reality finally comes sinking in to James.

"Also sir, how did you know about my great-grandpa? Do you know him?" the younger asked.

"I heard about him at the school museum he used to go to."

"Is that so?"

Jaemin then fumbles into his wallet, the one that Hyuck gave him when he found out that he doesn't have a decent one. He fishes on what seems like a photo that looks relatively new and hands it to Joshua.

"Oh! This is indeed great-grandpa Jeno. He looked so young here and we got the same blonde hair except he looks cooler than me," Joshua laughs softly, his eyes turning into yet another familiar crescent. Jaemin felt the need to coo to that familiar sight. He couldn't help too but smile despite his heart sinking deep and heavy.

"No one in the family has a photo of this. How come you have your hands on something that only a family should and also–" He looked at Jaemin and back again in the photo.

"Hold on sir," Joshua raises the photo beside Jaemin. "You look exactly like the guy beside him."

"I get that a lot."

"Sir are you perhaps Jaemin? My grandma used to tell me a story about someone his dad tells her when she was young. A someone named Jaemin or was it Nana I don't know I kind of forgot and how he was the most beautiful star that he wanted to share a dance with," Joshua continues to splurt out.

"And if I am?" James' voice hitches up. He feels his whole self sinking into the floor and he can hear himself crying, drowning the busy chatters inside the shop.

"So it really is true. My grandma wasn't making up those silly stories. The one lightyears away from here."

Jaemin felt as if he was splashed with cold water. This is reality. He indeed came back but no longer is Jeno there. Neither is Chenle, Renjun, Jisung, Donghyuck, and Mark. No one is here to greet him back. Jeno wasn't able to wait anymore because he simply cannot anymore. He's not like him who can last far longer than a human can. Jaemin isn't blaming him though. But he was able to start another adventure along with the gang. He's sure that they lived a good life. A life without him. Would he be lying if he said it doesn't hurt? Of course he would. He's not even sure of what he's supposed to feel anymore. It must have been hard for him. He had a difficult time, hadn't he? And it's all his fault. He was too late and he gave him a promise that he had held on to. An empty promise enough to put himself accountable but he did all his best to go back as soon as possible, didn't he?

Jaemin clears his throat and tries to fix his composure and utters an apology to Joshua. He smiled sweetly, sitting across him. "So, tell me more about your grandma's stories about her dad."

Jeno knew all this time and he was right, luck really won't be with them in this life.

_I love you. Let's meet again?_


End file.
